[Avodah] Making Coffee on Shabbos

[Steven J Scher]

OC 319:9 reads:

It is forbidden to put dregs inside a strainer even when the strainer was
hanging before Shabbos, but if the dregs were put inside before Shabbos it 
is permitted to pour water over them until the water becomes clear.

[This is based on Shabbos 139b].

[BTW: Someone posted a link to an online version of the Shulchan Aruch, 
but I've lost it.  Could someone send me that url again?]

It occured to me as I was learning this that this would allow one to make 
coffee with a cone filter as long as you put the ground coffee into the 
filter before shabbos.

The goal is the same: you want to get some of the flavor out of the 
dregs/coffee.  You pour in clear hot water, and get out the coffee.

An obvious concern is bishul.  Coffee beans are roasted, but yesh bishul 
acher tzli.  Therefore, you have to use a kli sheni.

Another possible concern is that I believe the water that you pour into 
the filter has to be such that at least some people would drink it. Since 
we're talking about hot water here, some could raise the question of 
whether that applies.  But, there are people who drink plain hot water, 
no?

So, this means that you could have fresh coffee on Shabbos!  I'm posting 
here because I can't imagine no one else has ever thought of this.  But, 
I've never heard of anyone doing it.  Is there a reason why not?

Thanks,

Steve


PS - I am learning these halachot through Shema Yisroel/Pirchei Shoshanim. 
I mention this for two reasons.  THe main one is that I already emailed 
Rav David Ostroff, who writes the shiurim on Shabbos for Shema Yisorel. 
He confirms that my logic seems sound.  By no means do I question his 
qualifications to decide that, but I am nervous that I somehow framed the 
question incompletely to him.  The fact that I've never heard anyone do 
this before makes be very nervous to try it.

I also want to mention in passing a word about Shema Yisroel, which has 
been mentioned with some disdain on A/A various times.  I am NOT pursuing 
semicha through them.  If I was going to try and get semicha, I would 
certainly NOT want to do it online (and if there are any generous 
benefactors out there who would like to support my family and me for 5 or 
6 years, I could consider it).

However, although I agree that it is inappropriate to get semicha online, 
I want to say that this program has been very helpful for someone like me 
who lives somewhere with limited learning opportunities, and 
who came to Torah later in life -- after career and family were well 
established.  I can't drop everything and go learn (unless that benefactor 
steps fowrard!).  Having this resource -- along with other things like 
Partners in Torah, which is also part of this process -- has been crucial 
to my being able to live a Torah lifestyle.

OK enough of this non-Avodike stuff.  I'm eager to hear your thoughts on 
my coffee questions.  Offers for support should go to private email. 
Comments on Shema Yisroel.com should go to Areivim.

Steve

***************************************************************************
Steven J. Scher              sjscher at eiu.edu         Listen to WEFT 90.1FM
Department of Psychology     217-581-7269            www.weft.org
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL 61920         I would discuss the holy books with the learned
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